Author: News Desk

In tonight’s edition, more than 700 people have been killed in El-Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state since May, according to the UN. Also, France began withdrawing soldiers from Chad. And we’re just a few days away before Christmas, Chef Sonia Marty Sokouri is the most Parisian of the African cooks, and she will share with us her gourmet tips.  Over 700 killed in siege of Sudan's El-Fasher

As has often been the case since the overthrow of communism 35 years ago, Romania is currently oscillating between the tragic and the grotesque. It is simultaneously tragic and grotesque that a massive reform backlog and a deep-seated mistrust of politicians have propelled extreme right-wing, pro-Russian politicians to major electoral successes in recent weeks. Equally tragic and grotesque is the fact that the country’s traditional political elite does not seem willing to learn anything from the situation. Coalition negotiations underway After the parliamentary election on December 1 and the annulment on December 6 of the first round of the presidential election…

Hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan late Friday from Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but drops president-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. The bill was approved 366-34, and now goes to the Senate, for expected quick passage. “We’re excited about this outcome,” Johnson said afterward, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”It was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic…

Florence — And here it is finally, after eight years of work and many unsuccessful announcements, the new Vasari Corridor. Open from today as it had never been before: no longer extemporaneously and at exorbitant costs, but every day the Uffizi is open, a visit to which cannot be separated. From the Uffizi to Boboli: the unique walk in the world reopens in Florence https://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2024/12/21/news/corridoio_vasariano_firenze_uffizi_turismo-423900216/?rss

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 2, 2024.Brendan Mcdermid | ReutersThe Dow Jones Industrial Average bounced on Friday to close out a tough week that saw the index plunge 1,100 points in a single day and complete its longest losing streak since the 1970s. Some cooler-than-expected inflation data helped fuel the session’s rebound.The 30-stock Dow gained 498.02 points, or 1.18%, to 42,840.26. The S&P 500 added 1.09% to end at 5,930.85, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.03% and closed at 19,572.60.November’s reading of the personal consumption expenditures price index — the Federal Reserve’s…

British composer Harry Gregson-Williams has said there was “plenty of pressure” following in the footsteps of Hans Zimmer to create the Gladiator II soundtrack, but his former boss was “bursting with pride” on hearing the new music.Gregson-Williams said Oscar-winning composer Zimmer, who wrote the score for the original film, was “one of the first calls” he made after Sir Ridley Scott offered him the Gladiator sequel 18 months ago.“I was really thrilled to be asked by Ridley, but it was not something I ever expected to do – a sequel to a Hans Zimmer score – him being my old…

Developer Michael O’Flynn has called for a radical rethink of how housing is delivered if a new government is to have any hope of addressing the housing deficit.Writing today in the ‘Irish Examiner’, the chairman and CEO of the O’Flynn Group, says certain proposed legislative changes would act as an impediment rather than a stimulus to housing delivery. He says this includes the Land (Zoning Value Sharing) Bill where the State would secure 25% of the uplift in value of land, following its zoning for residential use.The new Bill is “a prime example of policymakers lacking understanding of the impact…

France began withdrawing soldiers from Chad on Friday, Chad’s ministry of the armed forces said, after N’Djamena last month abruptly ended military cooperation with the former colonial power. A contingent of 120 soldiers departed for France from a military airport in the capital, the ministry said in a statement on Facebook, 10 days after French fighter aircraft left the Sahelian country for good. Chad had been a key link in France’s military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the forced withdrawal of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake…

In profile, he looks a bit like Emmanuel Macron. Same antique straight nose, same height, same look. His official title: “Special envoy for Libya.” Hardly anyone knows his name. Paul Soler, 45, a former special forces soldier, is one of the most secretive advisors at the Elysée, where he is hardly ever present, busy traveling as he is. In truth, he is much more than that: a sort of personal diplomat to the president. His missions stretch from North Africa to the Sahel region of West Africa, but also as far as Ukraine and Russia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Central African…

The constant pilgrimage to the Soria Lottery administrations means queues in front of the counter and, with them, extracts of delicious conversations for Christmas gossips. “I had a feeling!” exclaims one. “Sweet blood sausage is typical from here!” comments another, more concerned with things to eat than things to dream. The line moves forward and the lotteries send out endings, ugly and handsome numbers, the bar or company ticket, the anniversary of I don’t know who, the number of I don’t know how many… So up to the 285.04 euros that are spent per person, on average, in the province…